EMBASSY NEWS & EVENTS

Minister Witold Waszczykowski takes part in the Community of Democracies Governing Council Ministerial in Washington

“As one of the Community of Democracies founders and the host of its Permanent Secretariat Poland remains committed to the Warsaw Declaration and its principles,” declared the Polish top diplomat during the first plenary session of the CoD Governing Council Conference chaired by the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The Ministerial took stock of the two-year US Presidency of the CoD Governing Council. The American Presidency’s priorities were: democracy and security, democracy and development and civil society.

The agenda of the Friday meeting included: the situation in Venezuela, North Korea, and Iran, as well as the role of democracy in combating terrorism and threats facing the civil community.

“Democracy is a work-in-progress. It requires constant protection, especially within the current global trend of closing space for civic freedoms and rule of law,” argued Minister Witold Waszczykowski. He went on to say that “Legislative restrictions affect civil society representatives in various parts of the globe, hampering the democratic order and development. Many democratic institutions come under pressure from authoritarian regimes or face terrorist threats.” “This is precisely why we, as the Community members, need to reinvigorate our commitments and boost our cooperation to promote democratic values and reverse the worrying trend,” urged Minister Waszczykowski.

The Polish foreign minister’s participation in the meeting confirms Poland’s commitment to the agenda of democratisation. Minister Waszczykowski thanked Americans for their contribution to promoting democratic values and congratulated Thomas Garrett on his appointment as the new Secretary General of the Community. He also emphasized Poland’s merit-based and financial support for the organization. He spoke about the plans to second a Polish diplomat to the Community’s Secretariat.

Thomas Garrett and Rex Tillerson stressed and praised Poland’s commitment in their statements. “Let me express my sincere appreciation for the government of Poland for Poland's long and sustained commitment to the CoD,” said the Community’s Secretary General. Minister Waszczykowski told the press conference that an important decision was made regarding Poland. “I would like to inform you that Poland was awarded the honour to hold a half-year CoD Presidency in 2019. We are planning to host ministerial meetings in Warsaw to bring together the CoD participating states,” said Minister Witold Waszczykowski.

The Community of Democracies is a global intergovernmental coalition of states whose main goal is to advance democratic principles and norms in the world. It was established at an international Ministerial Conference “Towards the Community of Democracies” in 2000 in Warsaw at the initiative of Poland’s Foreign Minister Professor Bronisław Geremek and the US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

The CoD Governing Council Ministerial was the first item on the agenda of Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski’s visit to the United States. In the days to come the foreign minister will visit Doylestown in Pennsylvania to meet with the Polish community, and then he will go to New York to join President Andrzej Duda as a member of the Polish delegation to the 72nd UN General Assembly Session and to hold a number of bilateral meetings. To conclude his visit, the minister will revisit Washington to take part in the CEPA Forum, among other engagements.